Hello Friends,
I hope that this message finds you healthy and safe. Thank you for your faithful support of Ionia Area Hospice. It means so much to our patients, their families, and our staff to have you by our side during these difficult times.
Hospice care is considered an essential service and we have been working at full capacity throughout the quarantine. To protect our patients, families, and staff, we are diligently keeping up-to-date with the guidelines and recommendations provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as well as other state and national associations with respect to the COVID-19 outbreak.
Additionally, we are happy to report:
We continue to take referrals and new patient admissions daily.
Patients and families can choose to isolate or allow staff into their homes. Visits can be accomplished through telehealth or telephone. We have even conducted virtual music therapy sessions with amazing results!
Social Work staff and our Chaplain are working to lower the increased anxiety rising among everyone with whom we connect, including our own team. Their messages of care and support are helping steady nerves and ease frustrations due to uncertainty and loss of control. Because of your support we also provide free grief counseling to anyone in the community.
Stoneleigh Residence, our Hospice House located in Lansing, has suspended volunteer visits and we have asked families to allow only a single representative in the building and enter patient rooms through the patio doors. For the protection of our patients, visitors, and staff, everyone entering Stoneleigh is screened at the door and must wear masks at all times. While this is difficult, families are getting creative with video chatting and in some cases, this has increased the amount of contact with relatives living far away!
